April 14, 2015

Progressive Rock Review: THEO-The Game Of Ourobouros

Yet
again, The Ancient One has been fortunate enough to be asked to review an
artist that I would have been unaware of, and Theo, with the release of The Game of Ourobouros is a gem of an
album.

The
Game of Ourobouros is a solo album by Jim Alfredson, who is
best known for his work with the acclaimed jazz trio, Organissimo. A stirring
of his affection towards the classic era of prog rock, inspired by the classic
artists such as Yes, King Crimson, Pink Floyd, ELP and Genesis, led to this
album appearing.

Writing for the album began as far back as 2010, but due
to Jims’ heavy touring commitments, the album only saw the light of day earlier
this year. Between these dates, Jim had appeared on two releases by the blues
artist, Janiva Magness (as well as also touring with her), released two albums
as Organissimo and a solo jazz project entitled, Jim Alfredsons’ Dirty Fingers, meaning that time for the solo prog
album was stretched out over 3 years.

As is the norm with the majority of solo albums, there
are always a few guest musicians who appear on some of the tracks, or a band
put together to complete the album and in this case, it was the latter
scenario. The band on The Game of
Ourobouros comprised Jim Alfredson (keyboards), Gary Davenport (bass),
Kevin DePree( drums, percussion) and Jake Reichbart (guitar).

The
Game of Ourobouros is a 6 track album with a total playing time
of around 57 minutes. Track 3, “Creatures of our Comfort” is the shortest track
at 6:51 minutes and the penultimate track, “Idle Worship” is the longest at
13:28 minutes.

The
Game of Ourobouros is a concept album based around a “dystopian
future where all the identification required is your selfie-chip” and the
ongoing ethos that a “passive citizen is a happy citizen.”

The opening, and title track, “The Game of Ourobouros”
(9:41) starts with one of those automated voices stating “You have
reached…..press button 1” and so on, ending with the infuriating “I’m sorry,
all our service representatives are busy at this time.” At this point the real
music kicks in with chunky guitar and some sublime piano. When the vocals enter,
my mind whispered quietly, Steely Dan, mainly due to the effortless vocals
being produced together with the laid back melody. There then follows a
tremendous passage with interactions swinging from keyboards to guitar, to
vocal breaks and then back. Around the 5:30 minute point, the sound drops away
and a solo synth introduces more stunning piano work. The sound then builds with
drums, bass and synths before the vocal reappears, but this time in a more
formalized spoken form as the acoustic guitar also briefly appears. At the 7:45
minute mark, the band burst back into life and the guitar just flies. The
keyboards then take front of stage and the track heads towards its finale. This
is an excellent opening track that ends with the automated voice stating “thank
you for your continued patience” as the track segues into track 2.

“The Blood That Floats My Throne” (8:18) enters with the
voice informing us that “a passive citizen is a happy citizen” and a synth
background. Another synth appears and floats over the top, then disappears,
before returning to herald the entry of the vocals with some very fine
percussion also adding to the soundscape. The slight echo on the voice and some
bits of double tracking lead into more of that chunky guitar style and the
starting synth theme is always there or thereabouts. Jim lets his keyboards
soar around the 4 minute mark and then there is a stripping back of sound with
a gentler keyboard passage. The 5:30 minute mark sees the band begin building
the intensity level up and this leads into another keyboard passage prior to
more of the excellent guitar work. The original synth theme returns to take the
track out as the automated voice again imparts more info.

The opening two tracks bring to mind the albums by
Hibernal, both of which I have reviewed, mainly due to the overall feel of the
music and the use of synthesized vocals to set scenes. Although there is a
similar feel to both Theo and Hibernal, both are unique in the way the concepts
are expressed.

“These Are Simple days” (8:05) has an excellent piano
intro leading to a simple fusion on piano and vocals. This is a beautifully
gentle piece added to around the 1:30 minute point by the rest of the band and
some vocal harmonizing. There is a slight increase in the intensity of the
sound and then we are suddenly back to simple piano. Add in bass, acoustic
guitar and then the drums to start to push the song along. At around 4:20
minute, there is a stunning synth passage from Jim which grows and grows. A
simple guitar passage takes over around a minute later and the guitar and piano
build together before gently fading away. After a few seconds silence, the starting
passage reappears and the track eases its way to the exit.

The
Game Of Ourobouros is an excellent release, and while the “main
man” for the project Theo is a keyboardist, there is no keyboard overload.
Throughout the album, the interaction of the keyboards by Jim and the guitar of
Jake is something to marvel at. This is an album to give a few listens before
it finally “hits” you, but at that point you will sense the urge to purchase a
copy. Go get it.

4.5/5
Stars

Key
Tracks: The Game Of Ourobouros, The Blood That Floats My Throne, These Are The
Simple Days

Tracks:The Game Of OurobourosThe Blood That Floats My ThroneCreatures Of Our ComfortThese Are The Simple DaysIdle WorshipExile